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Defense Business Alert

Cybersecurity firm Symantec's federal chief technology officer, Aubrey Merchant-Dest, said President Trump's recent executive order on artificial intelligence builds off important work at the Defense Department, which is being extended across the private sector, while also calling for a standard on securing the emerging Internet of Things market.

The Pentagon is moving forward with plans to score defense companies on cybersecurity, similar to measuring credit scores, as one Defense Department official says DOD's current efforts regarding contractor cybersecurity are not sufficient.

The number of new vendors joining the federal contracting market as prime contractors grew from 2001 to 2006, but then sharply decreased from 2007 to 2013, according to a report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

The Pentagon wants to negotiate a solution for software rights allowing contractors to maintain their intellectual property and profit incentives, while also allowing for more open sharing of software capabilities and development across weapon systems, according to a Defense Department advisor.

The Pentagon is directing its acquisition workforce to better assess and enforce contractors' compliance with cybersecurity requirements, as officials are particularly concerned about adversaries stealing sensitive data from companies further down the supply chain.

Peraton is focusing on areas of work "that are strategically important to us," including space command and control, offensive cyber, artificial intelligence and machine learning, the company's chief executive told Inside Defense.

Though Science Applications International Corp. fell short in pursuing two major military vehicle programs, the company's chief executive told Inside Defense he would not have changed the company's technical approach.

The Pentagon says allegations that acting Defense Secretary Pat Shanahan, a 31-year executive at Boeing, has acted improperly to benefit his former employer or is biased in favor of the company are unfounded and untrue.

Textron Systems is looking to its purchase of ground robotics company Howe and Howe as well as more focused independent research and development spending to help it grow, Lisa Atherton, the unit's president, told reporters today.

Lawyers navigating mergers and acquisitions are preparing for a greater focus by regulators on the cybersecurity implications of deals involving foreign parties and are grappling with efforts to determine whether certain foundational and emerging technologies qualify for government reviews.